Jail for Ferrari-driving French priest who stole fortune

A FRENCH Catholic priest who drove a Ferrari, lived with a mistress and had 28 bank accounts has been jailed for fraud. Father Antoine Videau amassed a fortune equivalent to £2 million over 20 years by stealing donations to the church and rent from church property.

He even siphoned off £500,000 from the estate of an archbishop after he was made executor of the senior churchman’s will.

He fleeced nuns by renting out their convent for private events and spent church funds on a “pilgrimage” to Las Vegas.

Videau, 64, a parish priest in Calacuccia, Corsica, used his stolen cash to buy villas and sports cars, a court heard.

Prosecuting lawyer Angeline Tomasi described Videau as “manipulative and predatory”, and a man who “didn’t know the difference between right and wrong”.

Videau was convicted of fraud and abuse of funds and jailed for two years, with another year suspended. He was also fined the equivalent of £90,000.

One Response to Jail for Ferrari-driving French priest who stole fortune

Its a shame when someone takes advantage of the trust that people place in them and abuses their position of responsibility. Churches, and other religious establishments, seem to fall prey to such schemes, often due to denial that one of their leaders or members would indulge greedy tendencies. It is wise for any business or establishment which manages a large amount of funds, to invest time into securing their finances, regardless of how much they trust their members or leaders. There is an excellent online service that helps churches assess their financial security and also prevent church fraud.